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Your Stars

‘Star Trek’ legend Nichelle Nichols, 89, passes

Nichelle Nichols at a ceremony for fellow “Star Trek” cast member Walter Koenig who was receiving his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012. (Angela George (https://commons. wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NichelleNicholsHWOFSept2012.jpg), „NichelleNicholsHWOFSept2012“, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/legalcode)

By JORDANNAH ELIZABETH

Special to the AmNews

It has been reported that the iconic star of the original “Star Trek” television show, Nichelle Nichols has died at age 89. Gilbert Bell, her talent manager and business partner, confirmed her passing.

Nichols’ performance as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, the communications officer on the starship U.S.S. Enterprise, was a groundbreaking role in the 1960s.

“Ms. Nichols was among the first Black women to have a leading role on a network television series, making her an anomaly on the small screen, which until that time had rarely depicted Black women in anything other than subservient roles,” writes The New York Times. Her beauty was unmatched as she held her leadership position in a male-dominated field on and off the small and big screens.

She is known to have portrayed the first on-air interratial full kiss on television in 1968 with William Shatner who played Captain Kirk, following an on-the-cheek kiss given by Sammy Davis Jr. to Nancy Sinatra the year before.

Nichols became a powerful political figure in the realm of science and astronomy due to her influential portrayal on “Star Trek.”

Variety reports “NASA later employed Nichols in an effort to encourage women and African Americans to become astronauts. NASA Astronaut Group 8, selected in 1978, included the first women and ethnic minorities to be recruited, including three who were Black. Dr. Mae Jemison, the first Black woman to fly aboard the Space Shuttle, cited ‘Star Trek’ as an influence in her decision to join the space agency.”

She worked as a representative for the advancement of diversity in the air and space field for much of her life. In 2012, she presided as the keynote speaker at the Goddard Space Center, an appearance that continued the efforts and conversation surrounding the inclusiveness NASA and other organizations have acknowledged for many years.

Nichelle Nichols was born Grace Nichols in Robbins, Illinois on Dec. 28, 1932. Before she began her television career, she worked in her hometown of Chicago as a lounge and supper club performer both during her teenage years and following the show. At 16, she sang with Duke Ellington in a ballet that was inspired by one of his musical works, and later ended up singing with his band. She starred in the 1961 musical “Kicks and Co.” and caught the eye of Hugh Hefner who gave her a job at the Chicago Playboy club. Nichols’ beauty was unmatched and undeniable to anyone who laid eyes on her. She also performed as Carmen in a Chicago production of “Carmen Jones” and danced in an adaptation of “Porgy and Bess” in 1959.

Nichols worked in film and television for her entire life. Along with starring in the first six “Star Trek” films, she also appeared in the 2002 film “Snow Dogs” as Cuba Gooding Jr.’s mother and in Ice Cube’s 2005 film “Are We There Yet.”

Nichols was a profoundly important Black icon and her memory will be celebrated for generations to come.

Nichelle Nichols as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, communications officer of the USS Enterprise on “Star Trek” (Public domain - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nichelle_Nichols,_NASA_ Recruiter_-_GPN-2004-00017.jpg)